e-Accessibility

Content Editor

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What is e-Accessibility?

Accessibility in general refers to the design of products, devices, services, or environments for persons with disabilities. According to the World Health Organization, electronic accessibility, or e-Accessibility, refers to the ease of use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), such as the Internet, by Persons with disabilities.

e-Accessibility standards and guidelines have been defined and adapted worldwide to promote digital inclusion for Persons with disabilities including auditory, cognitive, neurological, physical, speech, and visual disabilities.

Two examples of such standards are the World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) standards for ease of information access, and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) - for Web content accessibility. Mada uses these standards as the framework for all e-Accessibility services provided by the organization.

e-Accessibility in Qatar

In May 2008 Qatar became a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. By doing so, Qatar's government reinforced the importance of changing mind-sets towards disability and showed its commitment to providing accessible technology as a basic human right for all PwDs.

Qatar's e-Accessibility Policy has been created in 2011, and serves as a fundamental building block for promoting assistive technology in the country.